NICOTINE USE AND ADDICTION

Nicotine is a highly addictive substance found in tobacco; a plant grown for its leaves. Tobacco products can generally be divided into two types: smoked tobacco and smokeless tobacco. Smoked tobacco includes cigarettes, cigars, hookah, and e-cigarettes (vaping), while smokeless tobacco includes chewing tobacco, snuff, and tobacco gum. Passive or second-hand smoking is when you inhale nicotine just by being around people who are smoking.

How addictive is nicotine?

Nicotine is highly addictive. More than two-thirds of nicotine users will become dependent on the drug. And only six percent of smokers are able to quit in a given year.

Nicotine is unique because the drug’s intoxicating effects are less intense than most other substances. Perhaps this is the reason that nicotine addiction is the most common addiction worldwide. As a stimulant, nicotine increases levels of dopamine in the brain. This triggers euphoria, boosts mood and enhances memory. Although it is a stimulant, nicotine doesn’t produce the high levels of energy or euphoria that drugs like cocaine do. It stimulates adrenal glands, which causes a rise in blood pressure and respiration.

People addicted to tobacco products have a physical desire to continue using tobacco, but they also have a psychological desire because of memories associated with using. These memories trigger the urge to use tobacco.

Almost everyone who smokes or uses tobacco can remember how their addiction started and how they never intended to become addicted. Most people pick up nicotine products based on a cultural perception that it is cool. Most people who use tobacco started in their teens. Of those who smoke, 90 percent started by the age of 18.

For those who started smoking at a young age, quitting later in life can be harder than for those who started smoking when they were older – regardless of how many years they had been smoking. This is because addiction changes the biochemical make-up of the brain, so it follows that it becomes harder to quit the earlier a person starts using. Young people are more susceptible to forming an addiction. This is because addictive substances like tobacco activate the brain reward system, which is still developing in teens. This part of the brain plays a huge role in the production of memories and addictive behaviour.

Ironically, most people with an addiction to nicotine are aware of the harm tobacco causes; yet they continue to use the substance. This abusive behaviour is characteristic of addiction. Another feature of addiction is that you build up a tolerance to the substance, needing higher doses to feel the same initial effect. The good news is that it’s easier to quit tobacco the sooner a person decides to. But no matter how long a person has been addicted to tobacco, quitting is absolutely possible and has tangible health and financial benefits.

Recognising nicotine addiction

Because of the widespread use of cigarettes, it can be difficult to spot an actual addiction to nicotine. Many people addicted to nicotine are in denial. They may be social smokers who only use tobacco while they are out with friends, or they may be smokers who believe they can quit when they are ready. Recognising the signs of an addiction to nicotine is important to overcoming denial and getting over the addiction.

Common signs of addiction:

• Requiring more tobacco to feel satisfaction or using tobacco in larger amounts than intended

• Going out of your way to get tobacco

• Having a desire to quit or decrease use but being unable to do so

• Continued tobacco use despite awareness of consequences and health risks

• Experiencing physical withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal from nicotine occurs because the addicted brain can no longer naturally produce adequate levels of certain chemicals, like dopamine. These symptoms can crop up in as little as two hours after not using tobacco and tend to be the worst 2–3 days after quitting. These include:

    - trouble concentrating 
  
    -
  

  anxiety and panic attacks

• depression

◊ trouble sleeping

◊ irritability and frustration

◊ increased appetite and weight gain

◊ headaches

• Experiencing psychological symptoms. Once a person’s brain is rewired for tobacco addiction, scenarios that are associated with tobacco use (psychological triggers) can cause cravings for and intense urges to use tobacco. Common triggers for people with a nicotine addiction are:

◊ driving

◊ drinking

◊ music

◊ work

The risks of nicotine use Exposure to nicotine can be fatal. Tobacco causes nearly 6 million deaths each year. There are more tobacco-related deaths each year than all deaths from illicit drugs, alcohol, car accidents and murders combined. On average, smokers live 14 years less than non-smokers. Most people, including those who use tobacco, are aware of the serious health risks associated with using tobacco. It is unsurprising that about 70% of tobacco users have a desire to quit. But quitting, no matter how long you have been using tobacco, significantly reduces your odds of having tobacco-related health issues. Negative side effects of nicotine use include: • coughing or wheezing

• breathing problems

• increased heart rate

• chest pain

• heart palpitations

• dizziness or confusion

• nausea, sweating or diarrhoea

• decreased appetite

• excess amounts of saliva and phlegm

• tremors

Some of the long-term health risks associated with tobacco use include: • infertility

• copd (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

• stroke

• asthma

• type 2 diabetes

• heart disease

• cancer (mouth / oesophageal / lung)

• while nicotine does not cause cancer, tobacco products contain a variety of cancer-causing compounds, such as tar and acetaldehyde.

Teens and nicotine Fewer people are smoking these days because an increasing number of teens aren’t picking up tobacco. Teens educated about the health risks involved often won’t pick up tobacco in the first place. Those in the 12 to 17 age group have some of the lowest rates of smoking compared to other demographics. Unfortunately, the rates of tobacco use in the 18 to 25 age group makes up some of the highest rates of use. In recent years, more teens have turned to vaping. This method of nicotine use involves inhaling the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device. Adolescents can easily become addicted to tobacco products. Teens are particularly at risk for the long-term effects of nicotine because their brains are still developing. This makes them more vulnerable to addiction than adults.

Treating nicotine addiction A combination of medications and behavioural treatments can assist people in abstaining from nicotine products. Behavioural therapies use self-help literature and counselling to teach people to recognise triggers that contribute to continued nicotine use. Many smokers participate in nicotine replacement therapies that help people relieve withdrawal symptoms and slowly taper their exposure to nicotine. The products include chewing gum, transdermal patches, inhalers, lozenges and nasal sprays.